When in Rome
by Karianasan
Summary: An April fools day Scooby gang Fic, with Shaggy and Scooby having come crazy plans in mind for the rest of the gang! Everyday/Slice of Life story. Happy Holiday! And be mindful of pranks.
1. When in Rome

_**~Twang!~**_

 _ **~Thunk!~**_

"Wah!"

Looking up from where he was working on a Miniature, Fred found himself staring at a quivering arrow that was now connected to his wall. And not just any type of arrow; but one of those dollar stores, little kid suction cup arrows. Bright orange and obviously plastic. All the way down to the thin, fake yellow fins that gave the arrow its ability to fly straight.

Getting up from his seat, he left his project on the side and went closer to the new addition to his room. Walking over to where it had landed, Fred scratched his head in confusion. And peering at the empty doorway did little to tell him how it came into his room this late. It was almost midnight... _Who the heck would shoot an arrow at him at this time of night and why?_

"Well, I doubt it was Velma." Fred reasoned aloud, trying to think about who might have done it. While the brunette had a wacky side, flinging cheap fake arrows wasn't something that sounded up her alley. Her color yes, but not really her style. Maybe if it had been a ballista bolt or catapult ammo, but an Indian arrow wasn't her era. Giving it a tug, Fred found that it was firmly attached to his wall.

This was odd... for such a flimsy made toy to have that much staying power.

"Hm, maybe it was Velma..."

He considered, mainly due to the random adhesive that seemed to be holding it up. But his thoughts were soon broken, as there was familair giggling and a loud yell that came from the room across from his. Leaving the arrow where it was, Fred dashed to his doorway in time to catch the retreating tail of the likely culprit. Nails skittering across the floor, he had managed to sneak up on Fred's room without notice, but after shooting his arrow at Daph, he peeled out of the hallway with a clatter. It seemed Scooby was behind the arrows, most likely using one of Velma's compounds she had created for her various projects. This one, being a glue of some kind.

Dashing to her doorway, Daphne shook her hand at the retreating Dane, muttering angry things under her breath.

"Stupid dog! I'll get you..." Daphne shouted after the fuzzy, fleeing form. Coming up with the most insulting thing she could think to throw at him! "... ** _Meddling_** Dane!"

It looked like Daphne had been getting ready for bed, all dressed up in her pajama's and slippers. In her hand was the arrow he must have shot at her, shaking it furiously even with the dog out of sight and most likely downstairs. But as she angrily motioned down the hallway, something fell from her arrow. It fluttered and drifted lightly to the ground.

"Hey Daph, what was that?" Fred wondered, pointing towards the little scrap of paper by her feet. Having noticed the paper while the distracted woman did not.

Hearing Fred's voice, she snapped out of her grumbling and saw that something had fallen. With eyebrows furrowed, she tossed the arrow aside and leaned down in her robe to pluck the paper from where it had landed. But her face only got more scrunched in confusion as she read the words that were upon it.

"Greetings Daphne!"

She could tell it was Shaggy's loopy and wobbly writing, and it was also written in his favorite color: Green. Wondering if it was the same green gel pen that she had him use previously for a note to Velma, having not found it since he used it last. Though that could have been Scooby's fault.

"... This Letter is to invite you to take part in The Hilaria Feast and festivities. This will be taking place, at One am, in the kitchen." Pulling the paper slightly away, Daphne looked confusedly between the empty hallway that Scooby had disappeared into and an equally confused nearby Fred. Unsure what Shaggy was talking about...? _Hilaria?_

"Hilaria? As in Hilarious? Funny?" Fred wondered, shrugging at Daphne when she looked his way. Shaking her head, she was unsure as much as Fred was. Though it at least sounds similar to the word 'Hilarious' to her.

"Hilaria... The Roman celebration called 'the Cheerful ones'. A Roman festival first thought to be called that when they were celebrating something like a season or any day of rejoicing. Like someone getting married, a child being born, or a new Emperor being put into power. Though some later it was thought to be a celebration when the equinox came around and was the first day of the year that daylight was longer than the night. The winter with its gloom had died, and the first day of a better season was spent in rejoicings. Later taken and remodeled into what is known as All Fools Day, or April Fools."

Wandering up the stairs, Velma had gotten within earshot of the others, before letting loose her textbook explanation of what she knew of the word. Well, what she could recall off the top of her head. She was carrying another arrow and a note that was written in wiggly green writing as well.

"Looks like we are being invited to an April Fool's Day celebration." Velma mused, having read the whole note before coming up to see if the rest of the gang had gotten the duo's invitation. "Did you guys read the 'requirements' to attending?"

"The what? Requirements?" Daphne snorted, looking down at the note in her hand. She hadn't gotten that far, to see that there were things they had to do if they wanted to go to whatever Shaggy and Scooby had planned. Lifting the letter, as Velma wandered over to join the other two, Daphne picked up where she had left off on the note in her hand.

"Greetings Daphne… This is blah blah blah, ah! Here we are. While this is a celebration, there are certain rules and requirements that you must obey in order to attend. Rule One, You are not allowed to use traditional cutlery for the planned meal… Wow, it's hard to think that Shaggy wrote this. It feels too official." Daphne commented, looking over the letter in her hands. Sure, it was written in his scribbly handwriting, but it sounded more like something Velma might write. Though she did tend to use bigger words for things. And well, Shaggy wasn't really one for formalities unless he had too, due to his laid back nature.

"Well, I think that might have been my fault," Fred admitted.

"How so Freddy?" Velma wondered curiously, turning to the man to wait for his answer. With a typical head tilt of questioning, and a raised single eyebrow looking his way. Her look was soft, and wondering what he might have done that considered being 'his fault'. Fred rubbed the back of his neck and started to explain.

"Well, the guys came to my room a few days ago to ask me about something and were talking about wanting to write a letter to someone. Thinking about it, they were a bit dodgy when I was asking them about who the letter was for… But then at the time I didn't know it was going to be for us. I decided to help them out and loaned them one of my old college books on writing cover letters and such, figuring that it might help them with writing whatever letter they needed. They made is sound like they were going to be writing about a feast for something. So I assumed they had been going to submit some project or experiment from their kitchen they had worked on, for a blog or one of those online websites they visit all the time."

Fred shrugged, telling the ladies what happened. It was not often that Shaggy came to him for assistance, So Fred had wanted to help. He didn't know that there might have been a sneaky reasoning behind it. Normally Shaggy would go to one of the other ladies for something more writing related, due to Daphne's journalism, or Velma's experience… but that might have been the reason why the duo came specifically to him. Because he wouldn't be as suspicious as the other two ladies might have been in the same situation.

"Well, you couldn't have known that they were up to something," Velma admitted, knowing that the Duo could be downright devious if they wanted to be. And it wasn't like they had done something like this in the past. April Fools Day was not generally practiced in the House of Mystery Inc. Sure, pranks were fun and all, but usually, the pranks done for the sake of that holiday had a tendency to go overboard.

Nodding, Daphne had to agree. She had once been 'kidnapped' by Shaggy before, and hadn't really seen it coming. So she knew first hand that he could be more than he seemed. Though even with being kidnapped, Shaggy isn't one to do something without reason. And most of his 'evil plans' tended to be for the gang's benefit or for recovery of mental sanity after something stressful that had happened. Turning back, Daphne looked back to the list to continue where she had left off.

"Ok, so no forks, knives, and spoons. Weird, but maybe all the food is finger food. Not too bad. Moving on… Rule Two. No cups, bowls or other storage devices are allowed to be used for drinks. Proper Hilaria drink containers will be provided. No exceptions."

Pausing to stare at the list, Daphne wondered what Shaggy could mean. No cups for drinks? How were they going to be drinking whatever he had made for the occasion? And what else might be left once you take away cups, bowls, and containers like Tupperware? Did he mean that they were going to be drinking out of bottles or something? That certainly wasn't something on his list of do not's.

"Yeah, and Rule three is why I'm here," Velma spoke up, revealing why she had wandered up to the second floor in the first place. Not that it was uncommon for the woman to be on the second floor, but at this late in the night, it was rarer of a happenstance.

Bringing up the Letter, Daphne read over the last rule that she was about to get to. It took a second or two, for the words to sink into her brain. Re-reading them in case she had misunderstood in the first place. But no… Those words were sitting right in front of her face. And a devilish grin slowly spread across her face.

"Rule Three. You are not permitted to attend wearing anything that is commonly used by you on a regular basis. At least in their usual positions. Shirts can be worn like a cape, skirts as headdresses and socks on your hands…" Velma read the rule aloud since Daphne hadn't. Making sure Fred knew the rule, as it didn't seem like he was reading his own note rather than just listening to Daphne's.

"Also, as part of Rule three, you must wear at least one article of clothing from one of the other attendees." Velma pointed out. "So I came up here to raid one Ascot from Fred. Since it is my color after all."

"Oh no no no no… That won't do." Daphne spoke up, whipping herself around and pulled both Velma and Fred into her. With each tucked beside her, hands grasping on their shoulders with a firm grip, (As if she wasn't going to let them go) hugging them close.

"Oh no… That won't do at all. This calls for drastic but appropriate measures… Ehehehehehehe…."

"Should we be scared?" Fred hunched over in the hug to look over to his fellow captive-y. Knowing that look of Daphne's and wondering if he should be frightened at her deep and rumbling cackle she was building up.

"Huston… I think Shaggy's created a monster."

Velma sighed, though she was slowly resigning herself to the idea. Not like Daphne was going to let her go, now that she had latched on to her. Plus, they had to 'dress' up for the occasion anyway… might as well give Daphne the opportunity to have fun with it. She just hoped she won't regret giving up so easily.


	2. Rule Number Three

"... I regret this already." Grumbled Velma, as she watched Daphne scramble through the attic in search for various parts of their April fools required outfits.

"Oh, you don't like looking back through our old stuff?" Fred said chipperly, as he pulled himself out of one of the clothing tubs with something she wished would have stayed hidden. Looking at her with a grin, and pointed to his find. Wrapped around his neck, the pink feathered boa sat draped across his shoulders making Velma cringe. Remembering the boots that had gone with it, and was really hoping to not break her ankles just for a small party Shaggy was throwing. Though Fred did look a lot better in the boa then she had. And they matched his earrings and headband from his outfit from the Battle of the Bands.

"It doesn't look bad on you. You should keep that one for today. Though I am more worried about the wheels that are turning behind the curtain over there." Tossing a gesture behind her, at the blanket that had become a makeshift changing room that Daphne had erected for her 'masterful' plan. Hiding what she was up to from line of sight, though the woman did appear from time to time to rustle into more boxes and containers to grab more for the growing collection that she was amassing behind the curtain.

Casting a glance towards the separation, he had to agree with Velma. "She has been cackling a bit like a mad scientist back there… I thought that was your shtick." Fred teased, tossing something at Velma for her to catch. Rushing to bring up her hands to nab the object before it hit the ground.

"What the… Oh. I remember this…" Velma grinned once she realized what she had in her hands. It was one of the monster masks they had accidentally taken off of two kids that had been 'haunting' the Tunnel of Love several years ago. Velma had worn it for most of the carnival, to match Fred's UFO that she had gotten him that he wore on his head from a carnie game.

"Maybe you should wear the little Alien again." Velma offered, and chuckled when Fred actually placed a hand to his chin to think it over. Nodding slightly as he mulled it over.

"Maybe, I'll have to see what cackling-magee is up too, before I settle what I am wearing on my head. She might have other plans."

"I heard that!" Sounded off from Daphne across the attic.

" **We know**!" Velma shouted back, with an added raspberry. Not like she had been trying to be covert. Maybe if someone was sleeping in the house, this late… but as the duo was probably downstairs working on the party, and the rest of the gang up there with her… She didn't exactly have to be quiet.

"You almost done plotting my doom over there?"

"Almost! But it's not that bad!"

Earning a shaking of Velma's head. "I'll be the judge of that. I remember all too well, some of the crazy things that you might be gathering… I can't believe I wore most of the things that come to mind that could be up here."

Grumbling, there was years of mysteries solved up here. And while they didn't take home every crazy outfit they tried on to escape or foil the bad guys day, there was enough that made Velma regret wearing most of them.

"The things I do for a mystery." She said with a huff.

"Oh, they aren't all that bad… You looked pretty good in that Cleopatra getup for scaring away those treasure hunters." Daphne called out from where she continued working. "Well at least once you had the mask off and weren't calling those creepy trained locust bugs. Ew!"

"You did make a lovely masked villain." Fred agreed with Daphne's comment. Velma being the only one of the gang to have actually been on the other side of the coin. Well, when they were in their right mind. Being hypnotized or mind controlled didn't count. The rest of the gang had been trying to 'save' her fake petrified self… but ended up capturing the real her in her disguise. Though she probably would have felt sillier had she been the one caught up in Fred's traps. But she had managed to stop the treasure hunters from getting their hands on the ancient artifacts, so the ruse had been a success in the end.

"I'm not attending April Fools day, as Cleopatra." Velma protested. The outfit was not only older but most likely falling apart after the harsh temperatures of Egypt and the makeshift nature of the outfit itself. While it looked good enough to fool everyone at the time, it had been made in a rush to put their plan into action. So it wasn't as good as she could have made it, had she had access to better materials, and maybe kidnapped Daphne for her fabric guru assistance.

"I was able to find the scarf you wore on that trip. I was actually thinking of wearing that myself." Coming out from the blanket, Daphne looked a bit silly in her robe and Velma's Egyptian piece of neckwear.

"I hope you have something better than just that, because even I know that orange clashes with Pink Bunny Slippers." Fred snorted with a laugh, having to dodge as she tossed something at him in response. Earning a rude tongue thrust at him making fun of her trusty homebound footwear.

"You're next on my list mister…" Daphne said with a huff. Pointing two fingers at her own eyes, before rotating her wrist to point them straight at him. "Velma first. Come on Velma."

"Here we go…" Velma joked, and rolled her eyes. Which just made Daphne reach out and yoink her into the changing room. There Velma was overwhelmed with the amount of work Daphne had put into arranging and finding the outfits before her.

Each hanging up on a hanger and placed on the piece of rope that had been strung up to act at the pivot point on the blanket privacy cover and the extra wrapped around to serve as the clothing rack. Mostly full outfits had been gathered and put on display for Daphne to plan, and for Velma to accept… if she liked it or not.

"Wow…" Velma was a bit stunned at the collection. Though most she really wasn't looking forward to wearing again.

Starting from the left, Daphne had hung both of their old green elf costumes that they had worn for a parade back in the day. It was _UNBELIEVABLY_ green, and not exactly the most comfortable in the winter weather. Though at least it had been warm… But a bit tight fitting for her liking. She had preferred Daphne's small green cap, to her full cowl elf gear that she had worn. Sure, her ears had never gotten cold, but it certainly was not something she wanted to wear anytime soon. Unless it was for a Christmas in July fundraiser for some kids of something. Velma would make a fool of herself for a good cause at least.

"No…"

The next on the hangers was hers and Daphne's Wresting outfits. Book Worm and Fashion Sense. Another outfit she had dawned in the name of helping a child, though she didn't know it at the time. That only happened when they figured out that the monster was, in fact, two kids who wanted to stop their dad from getting hurt. And while she had kicked some serious butt in the ring with Daphne, and was able to put 'The Flying Dinkley' into practical practice... Velma wasn't exactly jumping to get back into the outfit anytime soon. Especially the boots. Again, she wasn't a fan of footwear that was over half and inch tall in the heel.

"Really Daph?"

"What? I thought you looked good as Bookworm."

"While that may be true... I don't think I want to wear it for April fools."

"Awww."

Moving on, Velma actually had to pause at the next selection. It was the Chinese Dress that she had worn before. It was a two piece, Top and pants combo that had been not only pretty but functional to run around in. And it was comfortable for everyday wear but nice enough for parties. The Red and black trim at the collar, wrists and ankles were a nice dark shade, and the rest of the outfit was her signature orange. And she wouldn't say it aloud, but had seen been able to fit into Daphne's elegant purple number, she would have considered it. Even with its ridiculous short sleeves and pink leggings.

"Hmmm…"

"Whoo, there is one 'hmm' in the lot!"

"Oh hush you."

"Never."

"I know..."

Sitting on the next hanger, made Velma cringe. It was her two cowboy outfits for their cyber Wild West vacation. She didn't mind her two piece western getup, but it was the frilly school marm' outfit she wished had stayed buried at the bottom of the box it came from. Not that she disliked the garment, or that it was uncomfortable, but the memories that came with it was less than preferable.

"I swear… I must have gotten drunk that vacation."

"You don't drink Velma. You sang that rendition of 'Oh Susanna' all on your own."

"It must have been heat stroke then. Because there had to be something wrong with me that day to actually get up on stage and sing that." Velma said embarrassed. She was glad that most of the gang hadn't been there to see her make a fool of herself in front of so many people.

"Well, that is not what I heard. I heard that a brawl broke out between two guys fighting for your affection. And that you even got whisked off stage before the fight happened."

"Ugh… don't remind me."

Shaking her head, Velma moved on to the next option. But the frilly snowflake, ice-skating dress she had to wear once for some undercover work was not going to be a high option for today's outfit. Velma was happy at the memory that she got to actually play official, real Hockey. Even though it was only for a little bit to solve the mystery. But Shaggy and Scooby had looked way better than she did, in their ice-skating duds. Not that she would wear that either.

"You know, we don't have too much time left." Velma commented, loosely guessing since it had been a while since she had come upstairs to borrow Fred's ascot, and ended up being dragged to the attic for Daphne's dress-up time.

"Aww… But I have so many more outfits to show you." Daphne whined. Though she knew Velma was right. She hadn't even finished her outfit, let alone got one set up for Fred. Hoping that he was able to find something while the two ladies were away. "Belly Dancers, the damsel dress with the Hennin pointy hat, your stuntwoman outfit… I even found the wig for that one. Safari outfits and our Kimonos… Oh! And that cute little no sleeved, crop top turtleneck you wore once!"

Groaning, Velma wasn't exactly thrilled with those options.

"Well, I think I saw some older outfits as well… want me to find your pink tutu, or that caveman getup that you can Shaggy wore on a case? I can always try to dig that up for you…"

"No no… I'll find something here. You better get something for yourself as well." Velma caved, looking over what Daphne had found and the few bits of clothing that her best friend hadn't gotten around to hanging up for display.

"Alright, I had my eye on something I saw a bit further back. So you get dressed in here, and I'll check up on that and Freddy."

With Daphne out of the changing room, Velma had no choice but to grab something. Not knowing what Shaggy had in mind, she wanted to make sure that she would be comfortable. So her first instinct was to go for the Chinese outfit she had lingered on earlier. It was well made and functional. And she had already had field tested it on the Mystery that had interrupted their Chinese vacation. But Velma didn't want to just cop out and wear the whole thing, even though it was nice. So she shifted over and fingered the lace that sat on her school marm dress and her cowboy skirt nearby. Each had their own look. But Velma ended up going with the longer skirt. Feeling that the thick, rolling pleats that cascaded down the front in a matching red to the Chinese trim, compared to the mostly red cowboy skirt with a thin trim of orange.

But she still had to get something that wasn't hers. So far, all her choices were her own clothing. Abet not normal, everyday wear, but still hers. Folding her pj's over her arm, she had changed and moved back into the room to see how the others were doing.

"Hey Velms! Looking good!"

Commented from Fred in his makeshift garb. Apparently, he had managed to get past Daphne's inspection and had made his outfit before she could stop him. Still wearing his Battle of the Bands headband and earrings, he also still had Velma's feathered boa around his neck over his normal ascot(God forbid he actually change that). It sat above his white wrestling singlet that went with the Mystery that she had donned Bookworm for. With matching light blue elbow pads and wrist guards. With a pair one of his many blue pants, that Velma couldn't place where it might have been from. But what really put his costume over the top, was his 'cape' that had been attached to the singlet. It was one of Daphne's Hawaiian skirts, in purple with pink flowers. That Fred was proudly posing and showing off, once he had seen her. Like a colorblind, fashion deprived superhero.

"What do you think?"

"…I think Daphne is going to kill you." Velma laughed, wondering where the woman was holed up that she was missing this. Or if for some reason she had actually ok'ed Fred's selection of clothes with a straight face.

"I still need something not mine. I was going to borrow a spare ascot, but I like this neckline too much to want to cover it now." Velma commented, trying to think what might go with her current outfit and not mess with her design she had going for her. Unlike Fred, which was more a hilarious jumbled mess of odd clothing, she actually had a nice look going. One that she figured Daphne might be proud of, once she came over.

"Who am I going to kill?"

Shuffling out from a darkened part of the attic, Daphne finally made herself known. Though she wasn't dressed like Velma had been expecting…

Coming out of what must have been their winter storage, Daphne had put on one of Shaggy's classic winter wear. Though oddly the scruffy man didn't wear a jacket as thick as the rest of them, something more like a glorified two toned green long sleeve shirt, with a silly brownish red furred cowl that hung around his shoulders. But that was a good thing for Daphne, as it wasn't winter at the moment. Had Daphne went for Velma's preferred winter wear, she would most likely melt in the warmer weather, even though it was a more chilly kind of morning. Tied around her waist, was one of Velma's winter scarfs, that wasn't too far off a color from the fluffy fur from Shaggy's jacket… So it didn't look too off. And Daphne had managed to somehow find a pair of their Mystery Machine racing pants, which oddly matched the darker bands of color from the shirt. Like Velma, tying together her outfit with a color scheme.

But once the woman climbed over a few boxes to reach where Velma and Fred had been showing off their respective selections… She stopped to stare at Fred's choices.

No one moved… as seconds ticked by with the woman caught in her stepping motion and visually picking apart Fred's choices. Or that was what both Velma and Fred had been thinking.

"Hmmmm." Putting her still bunny slippered foot down, she tucked her own other clothes over one arm to consider what was before her. Giving her chin a few taps as she looked him over and thought to herself.

"… It's missing something!"

Giving a confused looked between Velma and Fred, they blamed it on the fact that it was April Fools after all. Maybe the holiday was affecting her brain in such a way, that she was not only accepting the crazy combination that Fred had come up with... but now was planning on adding something to it!

"Oh! I got it! I know the perfect thing to tie that whole look together!"


	3. What awaits in the kitchen?

Beaming like a champ, Fred was thrilled at the new addition to his outfit that Daphne finally settled on.

Sitting pretty on his coifed blond hair, was Velma's princess hat. Orange in color, it stuck almost two feet above his head and ended with a point that had a red bit of cloth that hung from it. Just adding another layer of absolute ridiculousness to Fred's outfit. ( _Not that it needed more._ )

Velma had ended up fishing out one of Shaggy's khaki vests, as a last-ditch effort to add something else to her current outfit. It clashed a bit with her current color scheme, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as what Fred was wearing. So, she had that going for her. Plus, she didn't really have time to try to find something else that would match.

"Ok, well with Rule three out of the way, I guess we should start heading to the kitchen?"

Velma offered to the others, as she pulled up her note and read it over again. Fishing it out of her previous clothes that had been draped over one arm as they moved away from the attic. Rule one was no common utensils, Rule two was no normal drinks, and rule three was why they were in their current outfits. And as it was just about time that Shaggy had put down for the holiday to start, they might as well be on their way.

"Yeah, I'm curious to what the Shaggster is up to with this shindig. Sounds pretty nuts so far." Fred said curiously, the guys usually didn't go halfway with things. So, already it was shaping up to be something! Crazy, or at the very least be something memorable for the gang.

"Yeah, but I want to at least drop off my old clothes in my room. I don't want to take them with us, to whatever Shaggy has planned."

Daphne said, holding up her own bundle of clothing. She really didn't want to leave it to get lost in the attic, and her room was on the way anyway. So was the rest of their rooms, as they progressed from the second floor to the first and eventually the kitchen.

Because _where else_ would the two goofs hold their Hilaria Feast and Festivities?

* * *

Dropping off their own pajamas, the trio make quick work through the house and made it to the swinging door that separated them from the kitchen beyond. Pausing to look at one another, the two ladies nodded towards Fred. Since he was the leader and all, he would be the perfect candidate to be the first to stick his neck into the unknown. Resigning himself, since he was the leader, Fred gulped and extended a shaking hand to reach towards the door. Fearful of what could lay behind the doorway, and not knowing what sort of things to expect from the Duo. It was April Fools after all.

"Here goes nothing..."

Placing his palm on the wood, Fred pushed the door and peered into the kitchen wearily. He flinched for a second, before peeking one eye to take a look inside. But what he saw, he had not expected...

"Whoa."

Leaving the two confused women in the hall, Fred pressed into the Kitchen to take in the sight. Leaving them to glance at each other before trailing after him. With the ladies following before they too noticed what had caught Fred's attention had silenced the man in surprise. Each of them gasping as they noticed it as well.

Covering the kitchen, sat every type of holiday decoration that the Mystery Inc household owned. (Daphne wondered if Shaggy and Scooby had managed to get past the storage closet in one piece when they tried to get the decorations from inside. Being the kind of storage spaces that would send a tidal wave of objects at whom ever tried to even take a peek at the condensed contents. Overwhelming anyone who dare open the door, and being a pain to clean up due to the mess. Being one those _**THOSE**_ kinds of closets. Their Garage was like that too.)

From strung up Christmas lights, to hanging little paper cupids and vinyl window hearts. Banners of birthday greetings sat hanging over a string of ceramic Halloween pumpkins, sitting next to the plush turkey center piece that Fred had gotten from his mom. Several scattered colored Easter eggs and rabbits we strewn about on various surfaces on the kitchen counters. And little plastic metallic streamers from Fourth of July hung about the room in random spots. It was an odd and eclectic mix to be sure.

It was bizarre to see all the different themes all cobbled together in one place. Definitely adding a holiday feel to the room, even though it was a bit strange way to do so. A mishmash of all the decorations that Mystery Inc had collected over the years they had lived in the house, and family hand-me-downs from their parents. And even some that they had inherited from the previous owner, Miss Snowlark.

But sitting in the middle of the kitchen, sat the strangest display out of it all... What seemed to be a thin, metal tree, with something dangling from the various branches.

It almost looked like colored strands... of something. But it was hard to see in the odd lighting from the other decorations and lack of any natural or normal lighting. But that didn't last for long. As Shaggy and Scooby were hiding in the background, waiting for the rest of the gang to finally arrive.

" _ **Tah dah!**_ "

" _ **Rah Rah!**_ "

They both shouted, flicking on the lights and letting the rest of the gang see their master piece in full view and lighting. Luminating the display and allowing the rest of the gang to get a better look at the crazy collection of things in the kitchen.

Turning around, the rest of the gang were finally able to spot the pair.

Standing there with a beaming smile, was Shaggy. Wearing one of the few red shirts he owned, it was also paired with his blue jeans. Not an outfit that he had worn in a while, but also not an unfamiliar one. Tied around his neck, was one of Fred's ascots, looking quite silly on the man. But at least it didn't clash as much with his red shirt, compared to his normal green one. But it was sitting over the neck tie of Scooby's 'Don't forget to Feed the cook' apron, that was hanging off the back of Shaggy, like a cape. And he was wearing some brightly colored striped socks, that had the individual toes. But it was hard to know who the socks had belonged too, after all of them had been given several pairs as a gag gift one Christmas from an eager daddy Skip Jones. And it wasn't like they were color coordinated to the gang, so it was kind of a group pile of socks that didn't really get used, unless the gang felt like being silly.

So, this was a perfect time to wear the odder footwear.

Scooby was more in the vein of Fred, with a mix of a few things. Covering his ears and top of his head, was a pair of Shaggy's bellbottoms. Shaggy must have helped him tuck the legs into itself, since now it was stuffed in on itself to make an odd pair of brown bunny ears. Lying about his neck, like a weird shawl or bandana, was one of Velma's red skirts. And several of Daphne's bracelets that she kept for nicer occasions, sat upon his tail.

"Scooby was tempted to try on your go-go boots again Daph, but I reminded him that you didn't really appreciate that the last he just borrowed some of your bangles instead. Less fragile things for him to break."

"Thank you for that." Daphne said relieved. The last thing she needed was to have to reshape the leather back to fit her feet once the party was over. It had been hard last time, and her boots were an André Courrèges original. So, it was hard enough to find them in her colors, let alone know someone that could restore them without a lot of time and trouble.

"So, welcome to the Feast of Hilaria! It seems that you guys are like' more than ready. Great outfits! Though I have to say, I wasn't expecting you guys to raid the attic for this. But it's perfect! Makes the holiday feel even more cool with its own look for it. So, let's get this party started!"

"Rah Rah! Ret's ret ris rarty rarted!" Scooby Barked, eager to get to the best part... **The Food**!

"Like, yeah Scooby. But don't forget, we have to abide by the rules!" Shaggy reminded his eager pal. Because as nice having yummy food is, they had some guidelines that were put in place to make this more entertaining for a holiday. Because eating food normally was well... normal. This was a time to have some little fun and change things up for once!

"Roh." Scooby sighed, slightly disappointed that food was delayed, but nodded as he understood that they had come up with rules for a reason.

"Don't worry Scoob, Like' help hand out the bags, will you?" Shaggy patted Scooby on the head to reassure him, knowing that the wait would be worth it, and they had just finished putting the food out. It wasn't like it was going to get cold THAT fast. Plus, who would he be without having some spare in the oven… staying warm. Just in case.

"Rah rah! Rake one, Rake one!" Plodding over to the pile, Scooby scooped up the pile of long paper bags and they made an odd clattering sound when he gathered them all in his arms as he came over to the confused gang that looked after the Dane.

"Rule number one, you are not allowed to use normal utensils in order to eat today. So, I have made some grab bags for your options. Leave things up to chance, and grab a bag!" Shaggy beamed, grinning ear to ear as he spread his arms out wide before him, gesturing towards Scooby who sat there and offered the bags to the confused group. Looking at the offered packages with puzzlement and interest.

"Well... What are we waiting for?" Fred snickered, figuring it wasn't worth dragging their feet with this. And plucked a rattling bag from the eager Dog. Shaking the bag for a bit, waiting for the others to get theirs before he finally looked inside. Pondering what awaited him inside the paper container he picked.


	4. What is on the Menu?

"..."

Unsure what awaited them at the bottom of their clattering bags, Fred, Daphne and Velma glanced at one another before opening and reaching in to pull out a seemingly random kitchen utensil. The kind of utensil that spends most of their time in that one misc drawer that most houses tend to have. The random sized or shaped tools of the kitchen trade that are useful at times, but also a pain to store in a normal fork, knife, spoon drawer. So these tools tended to live in their own junk drawer (or three as in Shaggy and Scooby's case) to await their time to shine.

"What the...?"

Pulling out a strange object, Fred peered to look at it. It reminded him of a pie serving... server? Paddle? Fred wasn't sure what its official name was. But it wasn't that, as most of those were plastic and didn't have this sharp looking hole in the middle. At least all the ones his mom used, were like that. Looking over, It seemed the girls were equally confused with their first pulls out of the bags. They each seemed to have several utensils, and just pulled out one to get an idea of what they were looking at.

"Is that what I think it is?" Velma said, having gotten something a bit more recognizable. Using her tongs in her hands to point at the odder tool that Daphne had. Drawing everyone's attention to the little handheld gadget.

"It's my avocado slicer."

Daphne had managed to get one of her own tools. Though Shaggy did love to use it as well. It was black and green in color, plastic that fit mostly in her hand. The top had a small wing looking cutter, and then there was a gripping hole for removing the seed of the avocado. And then back grate looking bit was good for carving out of the meat of the fruit for eating.

"So, we have to use these in our bags, as the only utensils for eating? Hm?"

Fred looked back in his bag and sized up his options. His paddle thing in his hand could not only scoop up things like a flat spoon, but he bet he could use the side of the metal tool to cut into things if he needed too. He just had to make sure he was avoiding the sharp middle bit. But all he needed was something to stab food with, like a fork or...

Plucking a pair of chopsticks out of his bag, he was actually set for almost all food. "Well, ok. This isn't going to be as hard as I thought."

"Oh, that is so cheating, Freddy!" Grumbled Daphne when she saw him pull out the chopsticks. Shaking a whisk at him, which was the second thing she had pulled out. Not half as useful as the chopsticks, or Velma's tongs.

"We like' tried to make sure you guys could eat the meal with all the things we put in there," Shaggy said with a grin, pulling out a small pizza cutter and spinning it with his other hand. "Though some are going to be more creative. Heh."

"R'im A ralwrus!"

Looking over to Scooby, he was holding a pair of kabob skewers in his mouth like tusks. Making the group burst out into laughter. Scooby waddled around, making silly noises and hamming it up for the rest of their amusement. Certainly adding to the 'hilarity' of the day. Though, the idea of food was slowly growing on Daphne.

"What are we having to eat anyway?" Daphne jingled her bag in the direction of ovens, wonder what Shaggy had in mind which this weird but amusing holiday party.

"I'm like' glad you asked!" Wandering over to the metal tree, Shaggy and Scooby got on either side of it. Doing their best Vana White impression, they jazz handed their way to show off the odd centerpiece.

"Tahdah!"

"Rahdah!"

The duo said again. Calling the others over to look at the metal tree in confusion.

The metal tree was mainly just branches of a tree in winter. So there were no leaves on the branches. Just various colored bits of something that looked similar to string, but more solid than that. Or at least less fuzzy. Though they were various lengths, thicknesses and some were more round while others were flatter.

All of a sudden, Velma burst into laughter. She had been peering intently at the strands until something clicked into her brain. Making Shaggy beam a smile. With the rest of the gang staring at the woman as she outright chuckled. Getting something that they obviously didn't.

"I thought you would get it." Which just earned a look between Daphne and Fred. Lost in what it meant.

"Oh my... You did, didn't you... ah hahaha." Velma tried to contain herself, but she was just tickled pink at the idea that Shaggy was making nods to. Making an effort to calm herself down, she almost snorted as she tried to explain since Shaggy hadn't in the time she was laughing.

"Heh... Oh boy. Ok." She gathered herself. "Ok, so some time in the 50's, the British Broadcasting Corporation, or BBC as it's more well known as... Pulled off the largest, recorded April Fools gag that has been documented. On April 1st, 1957. BBC did their current affairs program called Panorama."

"Oh wait, this is sounding familiar," Daphne mentioned, trying to recall it but let Velma continue. Squinting a bit as her mind tried to recall as they talked.

"Ah, yeah. So they had a serious program where they made various segments about things that went on in other parts of the world. And so on that day, they pulled off the biggest hoax that any reputable news establishment ever pulled. It was a three to five minute short of a place in Switzerland, following a family of Spaghetti farmers. Showing Spaghetti that was 'growing on trees' and harvest festival that went on there." Velma laughed more, adding in proper air quotes when she could.

"Yep, the people in Britain didn't really know spaghetti and how it was made. Being not common in most households in the UK at the time." Shaggy took up the story, adding in what he knew. "Millions of people watched what they knew to be a serious news program tell them tales of how to grow spaghetti on trees and how they work to get it to just be the perfect length."

"And hundreds phoned in the following day to question the authenticity of the story or ask for more information about spaghetti cultivation and how they could grow their own spaghetti trees at home." Velma added, giggling more. Trying to picture the grins on the faces of the crazy people behind that program, as hundreds called to ask about proper planting techniques for spaghetti trees.

"According to the BBC, they told callers to 'place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best'. So hearing about that, I had to use that for the spaghetti! And Red was nice enough to help me make the metal tree."

"Oh, so this is his handiwork?" Fred commented, leaning close to look at the metal tree.

"You got a problem with that?" Muttered a voice from the dining room. Wandering in, Red beamed a smile at them all. He had been invited to the party since he had been nice enough to donate his time and creative acts to the celebration. Though he didn't have anything too crazy on. Mainly his silken PJ's, in a rich mahogany color and topped by a spare Shaggy nightcap. Which looked silly perched upon the mass that was his curly red hair. Thought the mix of green and red kinda felt like it made Red a Christmas elf... just a really **big** one. In jammies.

"Red!" Came several calls, wandering over to give the man a welcoming hug. He accepted all in kind and made sure to give a deep bear hug to Fred to crack his back. Feeling honored to join them for this crazy shindig that Shaggy and Scooby came up with. Glad to help in his own way.

"So, getting back to the grub. Now that I got my hugs in. What is this crazy spaghetti masterpiece on my tree?" Red beamed, gesturing to his tree with a potato peeler in one hand from his bag.

"Well, so going with the April Fools theme, I made you guys several different Spaghetti options. But!" He paused for dramatic effect, with Scooby echoing his gesture. "There is more then meets the eye for the spaghetti. Notice that they are all in different colors?"

Drawing the rest of the gang's attention to the tree again, it was something that was noticed before that the strands were all sorts of lengths, colors, and thicknesses. But taking a closer look, they really didn't look like pasta. Or at least not all of them. The textures were off, but hard to see for sure without grabbing one and handling it.

"Scooby... if you will?"

Offering towards the Dane, he dove into his bag until he was able to find what looked to be a normal fork. But it was no ordinary fork, as it extended like a teachers pointer. Which Scooby used in a similar fashion as Shaggy spoke. ( _Though a bit fearful to be giving Scooby something that increases his reach by several times. Not that the dog needed an advantage._ )

"As you can see, there are several shades of Orange Spaghetti. Starting with this one, these are butternut squash, trimmed down to a thin strands. The orange next to that is a Carrot one, made by peeling it into sheets and then cutting them into individual strands. And this more watery one, is Pumpkin. Done with a spaghetti tool that we got on the QVC channel. And the final one, looking a bit shorter than the rest, is a sweet potato spaghetti."

Surprising them all, it wasn't something they expected to be several, non-pasta veggie options for spaghetti. But it wasn't too surprising, given the duo and their love for experimenting with food in weird ways. With Italian cuisine taking the most common hits to their recipes. But honestly, the options did sound pretty good so far. A bit weird, but that was pretty 'normal' when it came to those two.

"We then have several green options for you to try. One is a normal vegetarian pasta spaghetti, but this one is cucumber and that one is leek. I use an ' _As seen on TV_ ' tool for those ones. And me and Scoob hand cut the Zucchini ones into thin strips for these."

"Also these kinda curly red ones, are from some beets. And this yellow tinted one is from a normal squash. But prepared different from the Butternut, so it should be a nice compliment if you try them together. And we have some Angel hair, and normal spaghetti as well." Shaggy beamed, proud of his collection of alternate pasta options that draped the tree. Normal was good too, but it was fun to experiment with other options.

"All of these options can be gotten out of the dishes they were prepared in. I think the ones on the tree got a bit cold. But Scooby can probably handle those if you guys want some warmer ones out of a normal serving dish then the tree."

"Hey, my tree is lovely." Red snorted with a smile. Just pretending to be mad. As cool as his metal tree was, it really didn't help keep the spaghetti from cooling off.

"So, is there any meatballs to go with this? Or are we just indulging on faux pasta pasta tonight?" Daphne said with a smile, earning a groan from Velma and a thumbs up for the bad pun from Fred.

"Fear not, Protein is on the way as well. It just looked silly being stabbed on the ends of the tree branches to include them this way. But they too are color coded."

Taking a second, Shaggy pulled out a small sticky note and peeked at his scribbles to check what each color was, for which. He wanted to be more precise with the meats, since he had a veggie option in there for himself, and didn't want to mix it up.

"Even the master needs cheat sheets, heh." Red chuckled, not missing that Shaggy had to check. Earning him an elbow from Daphne, and a shake of the head.

"It's ok, I just wanted to double check everything." Shaggy admitted, proud he recalled all of the anti-pasta options but needed to take another look with the meatballs. Plus, he changed around the colors in the last minute,since he added another flavor in the line up.

"My Tempah is purple." He now openly checked his noted, since they called him on it, and waved to the meatballs in question. "The normal beef meatballs are blue, with the ground chicken being Pink. And a late addition was some Turkey that I colored green. Giving four choices for you guys. Making lots of complicated math combinations! But no less tasty!"

"Can you each grab one of the dishes? I have some pot holders and some trivets on the table for you to put them on the dining room table. We're eating fancy tonight!" Chimed Shaggy, putting on some of his official kitchen mitts and taking up one of the larger pots of spaghetti.

The rest of the rang moved to line up and help transport the food into the also fancied up Dining room. Though as Fred lined up in front of Red, he leaned back to whisper. "...Do you know what 'Trivet' is?"


End file.
